Tangled with Luther; The Mafia's Game Changer

The Proposal That Changed Everything Outside of the Hillcrest hotel, the night had turned cloudy. The air had become damp with the threat of rain, city lights reflecting on the pavements. Inside the Bay Laurel, the restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel, soft jazz flowed through, filling the room with a calm and low hum. ‘I hope you enjoyed your meal, Liv?’ Damian asked, smiling as they pushed their empty dinner plates aside. Damian’s smile strained for a fraction of a second. His fingers tapped anxiously on the table before he forced them still. He’d practiced this moment. He'd imagined it going perfectly, So why did it feel all wrong now? ‘Yeah, I really did.’ Olivia replied, blushing as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear shyly. Something felt off, Damian was more quiet than usual, he was unsettled too. Olivia noticed. There was also tension in his smile whenever he smiled at her. ‘Are you okay babe?’ She asked. 'You look so tense.' He hesitated, his eyes shifted briefly to the small velvet box hidden in his jacket pocket. His chest felt tight. What if she saw through him? What if saying yes made her a pawn in something he couldn’t control anymore? Then he forced a smile, tight and slightly off. 'Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking.’ She did not press further, but the feeling lingered. Something was coming, but she didn't know what it was. Damian’s jaw clenched slightly. It’s just a ring. Just a question. Just a game, he reminded himself. But his pulse betrayed him, racing, unsure. He avoided Olivia’s gaze, guilt gnawing at the edges of his certainty. A few minutes later, a waiter walked towards their table with a small white plate on one hand and a bottle of wine on the other. Olivia barely looked up, she was assuming it was a simple dessert Damian ordered to round off the evening. But when he placed it gently in front of her, she noticed the cake wasn’t the only thing on the plate. On the plate, the words written in smooth, looping icing, read: Olivia, please will you marry me? She stared, not quite processing at first, her heart stirring with a strange mix of hope and fear. Was this really happening? And then, slowly, the realization hit. She turned and Damian was no longer in his seat. He was kneeling beside her, one knee to the floor and a small navy blue velvet box open in his hand. Inside was a ring resting on a dark satin. I have to do this, Damian thought, his stomach tightening. We’ve come this far. Besides, it’s not like I actually have a choice. His throat was dry, but he forced the words out anyway. Olivia gasped for breath. She used her trembling hands to cover her mouth, her heart was pounding in her chest. The restaurant, the people, the soft music all of that faded into the background. All she could see was Damian. His eyes held hers, steady and certain. ‘Olivia,’ he said softly, ‘will you marry me?’ She was so stunned, she didn’t even realize Damian was still kneeling, waiting for her answer. Then he asked softly again, although becoming more nervous. 'Olivia please marry me, will you?’ 'Yes Damian, I will marry you!’ She said smiling, stretching out her fingers towards him. Damian inserted the ring on her ring finger, rose and hugged her. "We are going to be spending the night in a room in this hotel, Liv, it’s getting really late. I already booked a room for the both of us.’ Damian informed Olivia when they were done eating the dessert. ‘Okayyy. But I hope you don't plan anything else? You know what I mean Damian, until we are married.’ Olivia replied uneasily. ‘Don't worry, okay? I promise nothing will happen tonight.’ *** While they settled in the hotel room, Damian's phone wouldn't stop ringing and anytime it rang, he would rush to silence it and keep his phone face down. ‘Olivia, I want to meet someone in a room in this hotel, we are to have a brief discussion and the person would not stop calling, I have to rush now, okay? I'll see you soon.’ he said and kissed her on her forehead, running out of the room. Olivia wondered who it was Damian wanted to meet and why he was acting all up when his phone rang. But her mind drifted, she held a pillow tightly to her bosom as she kept smiling while she was imagining all the sweet moments she would have with Damian after they get married. She remembered how they met and how their love story started. It was indeed a beautiful experience. Her mother never got married to her father, even though they lived together under the same roof and her father also physically abused her mom almost everyday of her life. She did not experience what it felt like to be loved by a partner until she met Damian. Her lips parted slightly as her mind dragged her back to those nights when she found her mother crying softly, bruises evident on her arms. Then a knock came on the hotel room door She hadn't ordered room service and she didn't expect Damian to be back just immediately, he practically left the room a few minutes ago. Or probably he was done with the meeting already, she thought. Her pulse quickened. Who could be knocking? The knock came again. ‘Just a second!’ She answered, trying to tie her robe and putting on slippers. She walked towards the door and opened it slightly. A delivery man stood there, a gift box in his hands, glancing down at a folded slip of paper. ‘Good evening, ma’am. Sorry to disturb you. I’m looking for Mr. Damian… Uhh.. this is Room 204, right?’ ‘Yes, it is. But Damian isn’t in right now. He just stepped out to meet someone.’ Olivia replied, still a little bit confused. The delivery man shifted the box in his hands to look at the paper again. 'Oh, Well ma'am, I’ve got a delivery here. ordered by… Miss Matilda for Damian. I was told by the receptionist to try Room 204 or 209 and I wasn’t sure which one he was in.’ Olivia’s eyes were locked on the box. The name hit her like a slap. 'Matilda?’ She said almost quietly, wondering if it was Matilda, her step sister or someone else. ‘Yes, Miss Mathilda placed the order and there's a note on it that says ‘Private gift, urgent delivery.’ He held out the box towards Olivia. Olivia inhaled sharply. Matilda, her step-sister. Was she having anything to do with her boyfriend, now fiance, when she knew she was in a serious relationship with Damian. Even though she and Matilda never had a good or a close relationship, she did not expect Matilda to have anything to do with her man. ‘I'll take it.’ she said. The delivery man paused. ‘Sure. I just need to confirm… Are you Miss Matilda?’ There was a bit of hesitation in Olivia’s eyes for just a second, but she quickly composed herself. Her lips curled into a faint, practiced smile. ‘Yes,‘ she said. ‘I’m Matilda.’ He handed her the box without another word and passed her a pen and slip for her to sign and she did. ‘Alright, thanks ma’am. Have a good evening.’ Olivia closed the door behind him. She stood there in silence, the box heavy in her hands. Her mind was racing. Room 204… and Room 209. Two rooms booked under Damian’s name?’ Why?’ She stared at the box again, suddenly unsure if she was the fiancée, or the fool.